Tubular Bells

This is one of the only out there albums I have enjoyed so far. Was fully into it for some reason. Even the calling out of the different instruments at a time. The weird vocalisation of tubular bells 2 even just made me laugh rather than annoyed me . And ‘buggered if I know’ also made me laugh and I really wasn’t expecting. Specific rating - 4.1 Fav song - tubular bells pt. 1 Least fav - tubular bells pt. 2

Is it prog rock? Is it new age music? Is new age just soft prog rock that's heavily marketed for luxury spas? Whatever it is, it's pretty enjoyable.

Just in time for Halloween! That hypnotic opening, the 15/4 time signature, the instrumentation, and the way that it starts to evolve, is always exciting, and brilliantly atmospheric. It's a shame that it doesn't really sustain that excitement, either in terms of the quality of material or through its development. It's not really two 25-minute movements after all - it's a set of loosely connected, quirky-but-tuneful noodly prog rock fragments, stitched together to make two sides of on LP. (connecting two different segments by whacking a Dolby swoosh over the join is not the same as writing a 25-minute long song, sorry) I still think there's a lot to enjoy - the last section of part 1 is great, the master of ceremonies introducing each instrument with increasing delight ("Two slightly distorted guitars!"). Part 2 is a bit more noodly, but I enjoyed getting some drums - after 35 minutes! - even with the grunting caveman. (Presumably he's the drummer?) Despite the gleaming picture-perfect cover, it often sounds pleasingly handmade - instruments are out of tune, or slightly out of time - as if you can hear him learning how to record and produce, in realtime, and reminding you what an impressive achievement it was, especially for a 19 year old. I once saw two guys recreate the whole album live at a festival, which was really impressive - the idea of one guy layering nearly all of this is definitely part of its appeal. The most remarkable thing about the record is how many copies it sold - evidentially it tapped into something in the wider public, beyond just prog fans and stoners, possibly people seeking the monumental. At the time, 25 minutes was the longest reproducible continuous sound, so it must've felt like a challenge just to get through it. But personally, If I want an hour of instrumental music from the 70s, I'd put on some American minimalism, Terry Riley's "A Rainbow In Curved Air", "In C", or Steve Reich's "Music For 18 Musicians", which make coherent musical arguments from beginning to end. Also, do we have this album to blame for Richard Branson?

The pop culture legacy of this album (or at least the opening snippet) is impressive given that I have not seen The Exorcist or anything else that it’s reportedly in and still immediately recognized it. Decent background music, but not anything I have a strong desire to return to.

Ok didn't expect that melody to start the album damn... wither way, this didn't need to drag for so long (I'm still in minute 18 of the album). I was feeling better about the second part, but then that demonic voice came in... I don't know how to feel about this album tbh.

I've heard for decades that this is one of the greatest albums of all time. I tried it a few times but never made the connection. Honestly, at first it sounded like a guy playing on his parents keyboard in the basement and just noodling around. It went absolutely nowhere for 26 minutes. Apparently 22M people disagree and enjoyed it. I may not be bright enough for this kind of music cause I just didn't enjoy it or care where it was going. The last song is just rambling and doesn't fit. Nope. Not for me. 2 stars

What did I do when I was 19? Certainly not playing multiple instruments and composing this level of epics. Tubular 1 is enough for me to give this a five

Favourite moment: When he says “Tubular Bells” it’s like when Doc Brown says “We’ve got to go back to the future!” in Back to the Future. Second favourite: Random growling. Third: The end of the record when he admits that he’s just having a laugh. Can I recommend this album? No. But was there something weird and magical about it that I enjoyed anyway? Also, no.

Nothing to talk about

5/10 - appreciate the talent but the title songs could be literally half the length

thank god that’s over

Obviously a Classic and a fitting album to have the day before Halloween. The Piano intro is brilliant and the entire piece is a wonderful piece of music, before Prog Rock got too quirky and kitsch. I really dug the second part of the album this time around as well. Tubular Bells part II doesn't really get the attention that the first side gets, but it's a nice piece on its own. Always a good album really, there's other long Prog songs of course but none quite like this.

You know when you're trying to relax but your brain keeps jumping between chill mode and 'let's party' mode? That's Tubular Bells. It starts off all serene, like it's playing elevator music. Then bam! A guitar solo drops, and it's like your friend who can't decide if they want to chill or hit the club. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Tubular Bells, Part One

GENIO

Man, what a weird album. Somehow we start out at 'The Exorcist' and end up at 'Popeye'.

Tubular Bells parts 1 and 2 are good listening and it was very innovative but I don’t feel I need it in my collection tbh

I’ve been getting back into death note lately, so when I heard the first song I was pleasantly reminded of L’s theme. Anyway this is a good album. There’s an interesting semblance of a polymeter in the building moments of the first track, and it’s really interesting and mesmerizing. The proggy instrumental and surreal album cover both help to invoke some strange sense of nature filtered through the weirdness of life. It kind of makes every single passing moment feel like it ties into the album, the color of the sky, the sun on your skin, the wind as it pushes against your body. The other cool thing about this album is a 19 year old made it. Yep, dude couldn’t even drink and was making shit like this. He probably did drink though. This shit’s way too cool for him to have done it completely sober. Probably. I dunno. Anyway the instrumentation is great, and the lack of conventional structure makes the album feel a lot shorter, yet a lot bigger, than it actually is. The album’s biggest weakness is its lack of consistency on the first track. It switches from idea to idea much too quickly for my taste, whereas on the second track it fleshes out the ideas much, much more. Either way though, this album is really great, and I recommend it. 7.5/10 DOES IT BELONG ON THE LIST: sure REASON: sets an example for other young and aspiring musicians

Hell yeah, this is why I'm doing this list.

It’s October 26 today, so it’s definitely fitting for the season. It’s a cool listen for a bit, but it does drag on. The instrumentation keeps the music and my interest going.

Very...interesting. It's like my old uncle experimenting with music and playing whatever sounds his mind imagines. It's one of those quasi-chaotic records that doesn't seem to have any order or sole identity, but if you dig deep enough, it does? Something like that. The music is fine overall, just a bit all over the place. I appreciate it, but likely won't revisit intentionally.

cute

I appreciate the existence of this album, and maybe the first 3 1/2 minutes of it. But at a certain point, this became an absolutely absurd experiment in listening.

5 minutes in and I can feel my hear lighten up. 15 minutes in and I'm feeling energized by the guitar music. 23 minutes in and I don't know what I'm feeling (not bad though).38 minutes in and I hear gibberish.

I’d never heard this in its entirety before. I think if I’d have heard it at the peak of my Progressive Rock explorations it would have been a staple. For me today, this was enjoyable but not something I would likely return to.

Mhm I kinda liked it but I'm not super convinced

“Two, slightly distorted, electric guitars”

They picked the right part for the movie.

3.5

3.5

I absolutely love this album... always have. Side one is an utter flawless masterpiece. This made me an instant fan of his. If you like this album. I'd suggest *Ommadawn*, *Hergest Ridge*, and *Incantations* as well. I know side length instrumentals are not eveyones cup of tea, but if enjoyed this, those will serve you well. Also *Five Miles Out*, which is a vocal album,I highly recommend. The title track is probably my second favorite song of his, behind "Tubular Bells pt. 1". It also has the original recording of "Family Man" that Hall & Oates would later cover. 10 ★★★★★

So many great muskcal moments. 4.5 stars

There are some nice moments in here, but it's just too all over the place and unfocused. It's like it starts off with the Exorcist theme, then turns into meditation time at the spa retreat, then sounds like Samwise and Frodo are leaving the shire, then the cookie monster shows up and starts growling and it ends with Captain Jack Sparrow on the high seas. This is why I hate prog. I can't envision a scenario in which I would willingly listen to this from start to finish. 0.5 stars.

Mike Goldfield. This is a golden album with serious heavy duty iconic moments… the exorcist theme at the start, the countdown of instruments at the end of side 1 with Vivian Stanshall in what is a spiritual sequel to The Intro And The Outro with his own band Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band on seminal 1967 album Gorilla. And of course Sailors Hornpipe at the end of side 2. Tubular bells? Tubular swell! Arghh ye mateys.

21mins in sections absolutely slaps with the voiced intro of the instruments. At 19 I was finding my musical footing. This is impressive! And to be picked up by The Exorcist. Unreal. Leading up to the end of part 1 was a slog-fest. One long unbroken song that kept droning and going with nothing interesting to latch onto or nod your head along with waiting for something to happen. Part B. You're my only hope. So far 2-3. Trippy trancelike part B flows much more freely. Background music. 2. 40mins in what in the Klingon guttural hell is this shiz? Not sure it works, yea I'm sure, maybe on GWAR. Maybe it's like throwing a bunch of things on the wall to see what sticks. Solid 2. Not Kid Rock levels bad.

It’s impressive that only one person has done all this by himself at 19. Very strong opening, but after that felt like a bunch of unfinished progressive rock pieces put together, there are some good and familiar sounds in it. Also it’s so random, it’s like a soup that you put every single food you found in your kitchen, you’re mostly like wtf? also the part in Tubular Bells pt. I where he introduced the instruments was so stupid. I don’t get why would he include that. This album might be influential in it’s time but today i don’t see anything special. As an album this kind of sucks. Wouldn’t listen to it again. Other than that i don’t have much else to say about it, TB I and II are ok as background music i guess.

Idk man it was ok. Very talented and creative, but bruh it was long

I'm with Balder

Heeft zijn plek in deze lijst. Maar goed vinden is iets anders

Part 1 is beter dan part 2

Was pleasantly surprised by this one. I think it helps that I knew the exorcist part. I preferred part 1 to part 2 but I enjoyed the whole thing. Not a huge fan of the vocals on part 2 but very funny to be told you have to add vocals to make something marketable and then adding the least marketable vocals ever – they did grow on me on a second listen. Thought the music was interesting and that it changed enough so the long tracks were enjoyable the whole way through. Fav song: Tubular Bells - Pt. I Least fav: Tubular Bells - Pt. II

Hard to understand now why this album was such a big deal. Some nice tune bits, but overall a bit boring and bland.

An interesting soundscape that wears out its welcome as it drags on and settles into lower tempo jams.

This was solid background noise

Discovered this as a kid. 20 out of 10. One of the best of all time.

Nor for me

Un clásico con todo merecimiento. Debut de Mike y debut de Virgin. Abbey Road. El exorcista. Soft Machine (Kevin Ayers), Terry Riley (A Rainbow in Curved Air). John Cale (de quien tomó sus campanas tubulares en el estudio). Marc Bolan (suya fue la Fender Telecaster que usó en el disco). Vivian Stanshall (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band) que hizo de maestro de ceremonias con los instrumentos. Trevor Key autor de la icónica portada. Richard Branson, que confió ciegamente en el proyecto y comprendió que no hacía falta meterle sección vocal (más allá de la borrachera que provocó la parte Caveman). George Harrison , cuyo Bentley adquirido por Branson fue el anzuelo para poder hacer una presentación en vivo del disco. Álbum instrumental más vendido de la historia (casi 20 millones) sin contar las secuelas (solo la 2 estuvo a la altura). Es curioso que llegara al número 1 después que su segundo álbum, el también estimable Hergest Ridge (1974). Algo que solo hicieron Beatles, Michael Jackson y Bowie (estos dos de modo póstumo). El inicio de la parte I es genial, no por haberlo escuchado miles de veces deja de gustar. Luego mete un bajo espectacular y virtuosismo guitarrero tanto de guitarra española como eléctrica. coros, demás instrumentos, melodías cíclicas que se van hilvanando... Mi parte favorita es la parte final de este segundo movimiento. La segunda parte es igual de buena.

Friend of mine gave this to me before I ever saw The Exorcist. Nerdy little teenage me just thought it was a cool tape to bliss out too. Almost never listened to Part 2, which was more interesting than I remembered (except for the whole throat-singing thing, which seems a bit incongruous).

If this were the young Mike Oldfield's A-Level music coursework, I wouldn't hesitate to give it an A. But it is juvenalia. Nothing more than technical practice. We've previously discussed Kate Bush and Amy Winehouse at nineteen and the limitations of emotional expression at that age. It is hard to be a young artist. Perhaps it is because he is a nineteen year old man, but Oldfield isn't concerned with expressing any artistic idea beyond playing all the instruments. In the early seventies, that was probably enough. Now, of course, we can go on YouTube or Bandcamp or whatever and find hundreds of young men in their bedrooms, playing all the instruments themselves. None of them do it with any more taste or brio than Oldfield. Maybe some do it with more proficiency or cleverness. But now of that is really worthwhile until you tap into something worth communicating. Moonlight Shadow may be twee, but it's about more than just how it sounds - it took Oldfield ten years too learn that. He was twenty-nine, two years older than a rock star should be by rights. The only thing Tubular Bells has that the contemporary bedroom music students don't is the voice of Vivian Stanshall. I fear this may be his only appearance on the list, so I'll give him a half star here. 1.5 Twaddle. 1/5

T'was not Pazuzu, but this terrible music that launched Father Damian down the stairs. Anything to escape Tubular Bells. Side one is so boring and annoying for it's 28 minutes that if I stopped there, this would have gotten one star. Soulless and uninspired. Guitar solos that don't convey any extraordinary technique or purpose. That bit at the end where the snooty dude introduces all the instruments. Too annoyingly insistent to even work as background music. Side two is not as bad and passed the time uneventfully. Still not great, but it softened me on the record as a whole.

Loved how this album just kept building on itself.

Hat mich nie wirklich Gepackt...

How do you take the iconic Exorcist bells and then turn it into pretentious crap? And the growling?

Aside from the familiar snippets you hear on soundtracks, listening to this front-to-back was a hard slog. I wasn't feeling it from the jump, and to my ears, it has aged very poorly. I can't imagine putting myself through a re-listen, though I'd love to hear different perspectives from anyone who loves it.

Another album I'd heard part of but never the full thing. Really interesting as a whole work.

an absolute monster of a record from a technical and compositional perspective. it sounds fantastic, and the mixing is incredibly impressive for a pre-digital studio. musically none of it is particularly virtuosic, but the individual themes are quite good and they're arranged extremely well, particularly given the age of the composer and not-quite-solo musician.

It's an iconic technical achievement that has struggled to capture me as nothing more than novelty.

I truly don't know what to think about this one. Like I somewhat enjoyed it but also not really and why are the songs so long and I don't think Tubular Bells (even if it is a pun for tubular meaning groovy) really needed a feature like that.... plus the growling please what was that Mike. I read some context (which I typically don't do before I rate) because I was so confused and so yes it is more impressive that he played all the instruments and I actually liked it when he introed all the instruments. But like..... okay yes he was 19 or 22 or whatever. Still it needs some editing down and I really don't think it's mindblowing???? Who knows. I think all this being said I'm keeping it at a three because I'm still just confused by it but not in a bad way.

Tubular bells, bro! 🤙

An artist that can be found in any pile of records if crate digging. But never this record - was this his only good album? Well it starts off really strong! But then The guitar kicks in and I’m drawn away - but then we’re back again at the tenth minute and actually for the rest of the two parts. I might revisit

Well - not sure what to do with this one. I get the guy was only 19 and played all the instruments, but can’t say it is a listen I’d return to. I appreciate the work and its inclusion, but it’s all a little weird. Do you suppose if Christopher Walken heard the album, he’d say “I need more Tubular bells!”?

Not bad — I can see why shorter versions of the songs would be a hit in a major movie, but it’s not as good as a part of a 20 minute song that changes in tone and rhythm too much. However, I felt Mike Oldfield’s Single - Theme from Tubular Bells was a triumph.

Had some cool moments but could have been a lot shorter.

Classic

Track By Track Tubular Bells, Pt. I - I can’t un-see/imagine (I’ve never seen the film) The Exorcist now after reading that! Have for sure heard of this and know the riff I think. Funny, spooky, hypnotic. Some of it feels like video game music for an early Microsoft video game. Others feel like an experimental minimalist piece. Prog rock as well. Impressive, not all of it was really my thing. The announcements of the instruments at the end remind me of Benjamin Britten’s ‘A Young Person’s Guide To The Orchestra’. Like it’s introducing the instruments in an ‘80s instructional video. Kind of sweet and comical. Liked the acoustic ending. Tubular Bells, Pt. II - Quieter, sweeter opening. Still similar vibe though. I preferred the first half of this to the first one. The grunt-singing is interesting! It’s sort of bizarre and weird and comical. Got a Pink Floyd vibe near the end. Lovely guitar work. And what a joyous ending, so much fun! Mike Oldfield’s Single (Theme From “Tubular Bells”) - very nice, like Greensleeves almost. Medieval vibes. Quite nice. Sailor’s Hornpipe (Viv Stanshall Version) - This was a lot of fun, must say. I’m deep into the world at this point so that does help! Good British nonsense humour. Overall Review: This grew on me a lot as it went on. What a piece! So vast in its breadth and scope. Lots of references to various genres. Almost like an odyssey. I had heard of this before but again, never dived in for the whole thing. I enjoyed quite a bit of it actually. Get the feeling he has a sense of humour as well. Shown in the last couple of tracks. 3.5/5 Favourite Songs: Tubular Bells, Pt. II, Sailor’s Hornpipe (Viv Stanshall Version)

Seriously, it's probably a good album, analyzed but someone with music studies, but for me, just the part from the Exorcist film and a part with electric guitars. The rest is just too random and not something I would choose. 2,5/5 out of respect for the composer.

Really? This is the Halloween theme, and while it’s great for a horror movie, top album? Hardly.

Super appropriate to get this as "spooky season" gets underway. I had, of course, heard the intro that's featured in "The Exorcist," but I'd never listened to the full album that veers into prog-rock and, at times, sounds like The Doors. I effing hate the Doors; so I effing hated these parts. The story behind the production of this album and the fact that it was pretty much just one kid playing all the instruments is incredibly impressive. Still, despite it's ambition and importance - it 100% belongs on this list - it's not a terribly enjoyable listening experience. I'm torn. 2 stars seems unfair, but 3 stars seems too generous. I'll go with what my ears tell me, though: 2 stars.

This may be a hot take, but it's like a better Mannheim Steamroller.

This is…intriguing. A very interesting listen and amazing musicianship. That opening is so haunting. I liked when he was calling out all the different instruments. And my stupid mind thinks turtles of the ninja variety when he says “tubular bells.” 🤣

Could easily give this a 2…but gotta give props on him unknowingly creating one of or maybe the best horror themes of all time. Plus, rounding up to show props for clearly being a musical genius. 2.75/5

It occurs to me that without Tubular Bells, we might not have the huge collection of Virgin companies like Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Money and Virgin Media. I wonder what other albums can boast that! Anyway, this seems to me to be an important album - parts of it I like, parts not so much - but at the time, this was something of a recording tour de force.

It was impressive that he could play this many instruments. Also a bit odd that the opening song was used in a horror movie , but I can think of better albums to be on this list.

He was trying to fuse several genres together and it didn’t work. One minute it sounds like halloween music and the next a sea shanty

What a steaming pile of bs. Thought it was just kinda fun vibey stuff, and it was for the first 26 minute song, but then it went off the rails after that. The random moaning/gurgling or whatever it was combined with the weird spoken word nonsense and the fact this album is so stupidly long. Has no business being on this list or in my ears.

Felt like I was stuck on hold for a customer service rep…..why was this on the list???

TUBULAR BELLS

It had no obnoxious singer, no nonsense lyrics, pure music. Quite nice

This gets boring far before it gets finished.

boring to death

Part 1 - 89 Part 2 - 87 Tubular Bells - 88

Pleasant.

this was a bonkers album to be on this list.

This was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It started out almost sounding like something for Christmas or a kid's show, but ended up having some really fun and unique music.

fucking longgggg and boring lowkey gave up

Well it was not as bad as expected, but still far from good. I thought this album was just a long monotonous drag, but it was a long, slightly monotonous drag. Just a bit better than I thought brings it to a two star rating. 2/5

Don't lie to me and tell me I have to listen to it. Come on now. Best Song: N/A Rating: 3/10 Stars: 2

The caveman bit really came out of nowhere

it was ok ig. just a couple really long songs.

I liked meeting all the instruments.

GLOCKENSPIEL A phenomenal transcendent first track is let down by the rest of the album but what a first track it is.

It’s an interestingly sounding album, with a first half that is much stronger thab the second half (where the howling and the human sounds start). I thought the first song sounded familiar until I read that it indeed was the song of The Exorcist.

It's interesting, but it's all atmosphere. Sure, it should be on this list, but that doesn't mean it's enjoyable. I thought I was halfway through the album only to realize I still had 8:30 left on the very first song. WHY? This is a nightmare.

Tubular Bells was an interesting musical experiment in mostly instrumental prog rock from Mike Oldfield. The biggest problem I had with it is that it’s almost impossible to separate the opening of “Tubular Bells, Part 1” from the immediate thought of, “Isn’t this from The Exorcist?” I can see exactly why William Friedkin chose to use it, but that association is so strong that it’s difficult to hear the song entirely on its own without the movie creeping into your head. For the most part, I enjoyed it, at least until the middle of “Tubular Bells, Part 2,” when some guttural chanting suddenly gets thrown into the mix, sounding like Klingon or something similar. I suppose that’s one way to keep things interesting. Ending Part 2 with “The Sailor’s Hornpipe” was definitely a choice, and now all I want to do is sit down in front of the TV and watch some Popeye cartoons like I’m seven years old again, eating a bowl of sugary cereal, tuned into KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles and "Popeye and His Friends," waiting to see if Tom Hatten pulls my postcard from the viewer mailbag—which he never did, by the way. Overall, I’m glad I gave it a spin. It was an interesting listen and definitely something different, but I’m not entirely sure how often I’ll actually find myself coming back to it.

This came out at a time when mainstream music didn't have an unending number of genres intertwined in the public consciousness. I'm not surprised that it was received as some sort of amazing, new music that captivated everyone. While it's cemented itself in popular culture for being the main theme for The Exorcist, it's really an odd composition that winds into the strange at times. I'm content in having listened to it once, but it's not something I find groundbreaking.

weird weird weird. starting with a melody most 30+ers will recognize one way or another (maybe without completely able to put it to anything specific, adding even more mystery to this prog behemoth). continuing with bells, weird synths, growling, wolf howling, electric guitars and what not. i sort of like it because i like weird prog, i sort of hate it because even for its genre, it's annoyingly weird. it's definitely an experience... the only question that remains in my head is, how the hell could this be released???

7/10, appreciate the craftsmanship

adoro um progressivo e achei muito bom, ainda que não esperasse ouvir um álbum instrumental aqui. achei a primeira faixa (pt. I) icônica, mas fica uma estrela a menos pros grunhidos na pt. II que quebram total o clima (e o prazer de ouvir).

música instrumental pra mim só rola de trilha de filme ou de fundo pra qualquer coisa, escuta ativa fica difícil. dentro do possível até achei legal.

nice, long as fuuuuuuck tho. Ale taki nice music, co prawda raczej nie coś co bym sobie sama z siebie puściła

Jedan od rijetkih artsy fartsy čudnih albuma koje cijenim ne samo na muzičkom nivou. Ovo je jedna od prekretnica muzike od dosadnih popastih stvari prema eksperimentaciji. Jedva punoljetan frajer svira milion instrumenata i uspijeva napraviti mega hit od albuma. A nekim čudom i ne zvuči toliko loše. Svaki put se iznenadim koliko stvarno nije dosadno. New age na vrhuncu otprilike što se mene tiče. I legendarno je bilo kad je Del Boy kupio ovu ploču Raquel umjesto "Bruce Oldfielda". Morala sam i ja sebi nabaviti to i Rio zbog Mućki čim sam krenula skupljati ploče.